Will Joel Embiid’s Olympic gold come back to haunt him? Well, it has truly been a memorable summer for the former MVP. While he did crash out in the first round of the playoffs, he made up for it by bagging a gold medal in Paris. And just last week, Jo Jo solidified his future in Philly by inking a three-year $193 million extension. But now, he is faced with the massive challenge of leading the Sixers to a championship. And NBA legend Rashad McCants claims Embiid’s Olympics decision could lead to another failed season for the big man.

With Joel missing 43 games last season due to a meniscus injury in his left knee, there were a lot of concerns regarding his decision to participate in the Olympics. Had it not been for the Paris trip, he could have used that time to completely recover from the injury and return fully healthy for next season. And McCants believes the Sixers made a mistake, “They gonna regret allowing the decision for him to go to the Olympics coz it’s not gonna give him the time he needed to recover to be optimal.”

Moreover, this is not the first time McCants has questioned Embiid’s decision. Even when Team USA was preparing for the Olympics and playing showcase games, the former NBA star had concerns about Embiid’s fitness as he struggled against the Australian squad, “Joel still look like he out of shape. He shouldn’t even be out there.” So, why did the Center play in the Olympics if health was an issue?

Well, McCants believes this was the reason, “I really feel like the chase for the gold medal in the Olympics was to solidify he don’t have to actually chase it anymore. It’s an easy gold medal right.” Yes, with a star-studded roster, Team USA was almost a lock to bring home the gold medal long before the tournament began. And Rashad thinks Embiid used this opportunity to check that box so that he never has to worry about it again. However, the Sixers might have a solution to the legend’s concern.

Joel Embiid suggested to consider “load management” to stay healthy all season

While the seven-footer might not have gotten enough time to recover from his injury during the summer, he could take occasional time off during the season to stay healthy. Especially now that the Sixers have a superstar like Paul George and a home-grown talent like Tyrese Maxey who can carry the team to multiple wins without Embiid, the big man can rest whenever he feels overexerted. “He can actually rest the first ten games of the season if he wants to… Rest whenever he wants,” McCants remarked on the Gil’s Arena podcast.

Moreover, the panel believes Joel no longer has to worry about the league’s new 65-game rule as he already has an MVP trophy in his bag and the only thing missing is an NBA Championship. So, he was suggested to consider occasional load management while PG and Maxey take care of business. Even Jo Jo has somewhat of a similar expectation for next season now that there are multiple scoring options on his team, “It makes me excited because I think that actually might keep me healthy. I don’t have to exert myself and make sure I have to have 30 40 every single night for us to win.”

With two superstar teammates, he too believes that he will get more time to rest and recover from lingering injuries, which will keep him healthy for a deep run in the playoffs. Maybe then, his Olympics decision won’t seem like a big mistake to McCants and other such critics. Do you agree?